A Shade of Doubt
Page 5
I was too drained to care just then. And too cold. I gripped the handle of the nearest door to me and was relieved when it opened into a small room with a clean-looking cot in one corner, a small cabinet, and a towel rack.
I rummaged through the closet and found a towel. Stripping out of my wet clothes, I dried myself. I found clean clothes in one of the drawers—pants and a shirt. They were both too large for me, but anything was better than remaining in my wet clothes.
Wrapping my hair up in the towel, I lay down on the cot and curled up in a ball.
Mom. Dad. Ben. Grandpa… I thought of everyone who was dear to me in The Shade. Please, please be safe. I prayed that the witch was lying. Caleb had seemed to suspect so. But it was the doubt, the not knowing, that was torturous.
I shut my eyes, trying to numb the pain and uncertainty boiling up within me. Scorching me alive. I should have been more concerned as to whether or not we had managed to get those two black witches off our tail. But my mind was too distracted by other worries.
After an hour or so, I heard the click of a door. I crept to my own door and opened it slightly to peer out. Annora had left the control room and was walking into another cabin, where she shut the door behind her.
I lay back down in bed, heaving a sigh.
I didn’t know whether Caleb had asked her to leave, or if she had left of her own accord. Somehow, I doubted the latter.
Chapter 2: Vivienne
“Promise me, Vivienne, that you won’t feel bad while you’re away. I want you to enjoy yourself and not think about us. Can you promise me that?”
As Xavier and I entered the lobby of our hotel, my brother Derek’s words rang through my head. I’d promised him that I would try, even if it proved to be the hardest thing in the world.
Given that we were trying to get away from the troubles of The Shade and the waters surrounding it, Xavier suggested we go somewhere far away from the Pacific Ocean. He’d suggested Santorini, Greece. Neither of us had been there before, but we’d heard that it was a popular honeymoon destination. I wasn’t picky about where we ended up. My husband was all I wanted. But now that we’d arrived in Santorini, I could certainly see how it had earned its reputation.
Xavier insisted we stay in the most expensive room of the hotel, the penthouse suite, right at the top of the pristine white building. The manager led us up there personally, along with two employees carrying our bags.
I drew a breath as we entered the suite. Although the interiors were spacious and beautiful, my eyes were drawn to the balcony. I took off my shoes and walked up to the glass doors, parting the blinds to allow the evening sun to enter the room. I opened the doors and walked outside onto the terracotta-floored veranda, warm beneath my bare feet.
There was a sprawling infinity pool to my left, a table for two with candles and a pretty flower arrangement in the center, and beyond, stretching out all around us, was a vision so eye-wateringly beautiful I could barely believe we were still on earth. The sea was the most brilliant blue I had ever seen. Perhaps only Derek’s eyes could rival it. And the sky… there was not a single cloud in sight as the sun began its descent behind the horizon. I guessed that this place could even give The Sanctuary a run for its money.
“You both look like you have some tanning to do,” the manager said, smiling as he eyed our pale skin.
Xavier and I exchanged glances and chuckled. The men left our bags by the queen-sized bed before they headed for the exit.
“I can think of more interesting things on our to-do list than tanning,” Xavier whispered, as the door clicked shut.
My heart raced as he drew me to him and planted a long, tender kiss on my lips. “I agree.”
Xavier cupped my face in his hands, heat sparking in his eyes. “You’re blushing,” he said, his voice husky.
“I am?”
He nodded. “Viv, you have no idea how beautiful you are when you blush.”
I was sure that I blushed some more as his intense eyes bored into mine.
I reached for his shirt and began unbuttoning it while he unzipped my dress. He slid it off my shoulders, then reached behind my back and unclasped my bra. He dropped both garments on the floor before removing his pants.
“I think a shower is in order,” he said, catching my hand and leading me toward the bathroom. Turning on the monsoon shower, he backed me up against the cool tiled wall and trailed kisses along my shoulders.
We soaped each other down and when his hands lowered to the small of my back, I felt things were about to get a lot more heated. As he moved to taste my mouth again, I pressed a finger against his lips.
“Wait,” I breathed.
I twined my fingers with his and led him out of the bathroom. We crossed the bedroom floor, leaving a trail of soapy water behind us, and stepped onto the balcony. Only half of the deep orange sun remained above the horizon now. I slid into the crystal clear pool, pulling Xavier in after me. Draping my arms over his shoulders, I pressed my mouth against his. I closed my eyes, relishing the feel of his tongue parting my lips. I wrapped my legs around his waist and pulled myself flush against him.
“Now,” I whispered. “Remind me where we were.”
Chapter 3: Derek
To say that Ben’s turning hadn’t gone as I’d hoped would have been an understatement. As Sofia left the chamber, he continued convulsing and coughing blood—too much blood. He couldn’t afford to lose this much. People had been known to die during this transition phase, when they were still vulnerable due to being partly human. As much as I could see he was in pain, I forced him to sit upright, hoping that it would stem the blood a little. No chance. If anything, he began coughing up more. He started to get a nose bleed. I ripped off a piece of the cloth he was lying on and tipped his head back, trying to at least stop the nose bleed. Again, it didn’t seem to make the slightest bit of difference.
I rummaged through the closet and found a towel. Stripping out of my wet clothes, I dried myself. I found clean clothes in one of the drawers—pants and a shirt. They were both too large for me, but anything was better than remaining in my wet clothes.
Wrapping my hair up in the towel, I lay down on the cot and curled up in a ball.
Mom. Dad. Ben. Grandpa… I thought of everyone who was dear to me in The Shade. Please, please be safe. I prayed that the witch was lying. Caleb had seemed to suspect so. But it was the doubt, the not knowing, that was torturous.
I shut my eyes, trying to numb the pain and uncertainty boiling up within me. Scorching me alive. I should have been more concerned as to whether or not we had managed to get those two black witches off our tail. But my mind was too distracted by other worries.
After an hour or so, I heard the click of a door. I crept to my own door and opened it slightly to peer out. Annora had left the control room and was walking into another cabin, where she shut the door behind her.
I lay back down in bed, heaving a sigh.
I didn’t know whether Caleb had asked her to leave, or if she had left of her own accord. Somehow, I doubted the latter.
Chapter 2: Vivienne
“Promise me, Vivienne, that you won’t feel bad while you’re away. I want you to enjoy yourself and not think about us. Can you promise me that?”
As Xavier and I entered the lobby of our hotel, my brother Derek’s words rang through my head. I’d promised him that I would try, even if it proved to be the hardest thing in the world.
Given that we were trying to get away from the troubles of The Shade and the waters surrounding it, Xavier suggested we go somewhere far away from the Pacific Ocean. He’d suggested Santorini, Greece. Neither of us had been there before, but we’d heard that it was a popular honeymoon destination. I wasn’t picky about where we ended up. My husband was all I wanted. But now that we’d arrived in Santorini, I could certainly see how it had earned its reputation.
Xavier insisted we stay in the most expensive room of the hotel, the penthouse suite, right at the top of the pristine white building. The manager led us up there personally, along with two employees carrying our bags.
I drew a breath as we entered the suite. Although the interiors were spacious and beautiful, my eyes were drawn to the balcony. I took off my shoes and walked up to the glass doors, parting the blinds to allow the evening sun to enter the room. I opened the doors and walked outside onto the terracotta-floored veranda, warm beneath my bare feet.
There was a sprawling infinity pool to my left, a table for two with candles and a pretty flower arrangement in the center, and beyond, stretching out all around us, was a vision so eye-wateringly beautiful I could barely believe we were still on earth. The sea was the most brilliant blue I had ever seen. Perhaps only Derek’s eyes could rival it. And the sky… there was not a single cloud in sight as the sun began its descent behind the horizon. I guessed that this place could even give The Sanctuary a run for its money.
“You both look like you have some tanning to do,” the manager said, smiling as he eyed our pale skin.
Xavier and I exchanged glances and chuckled. The men left our bags by the queen-sized bed before they headed for the exit.
“I can think of more interesting things on our to-do list than tanning,” Xavier whispered, as the door clicked shut.
My heart raced as he drew me to him and planted a long, tender kiss on my lips. “I agree.”
Xavier cupped my face in his hands, heat sparking in his eyes. “You’re blushing,” he said, his voice husky.
“I am?”
He nodded. “Viv, you have no idea how beautiful you are when you blush.”
I was sure that I blushed some more as his intense eyes bored into mine.
I reached for his shirt and began unbuttoning it while he unzipped my dress. He slid it off my shoulders, then reached behind my back and unclasped my bra. He dropped both garments on the floor before removing his pants.
“I think a shower is in order,” he said, catching my hand and leading me toward the bathroom. Turning on the monsoon shower, he backed me up against the cool tiled wall and trailed kisses along my shoulders.
We soaped each other down and when his hands lowered to the small of my back, I felt things were about to get a lot more heated. As he moved to taste my mouth again, I pressed a finger against his lips.
“Wait,” I breathed.
I twined my fingers with his and led him out of the bathroom. We crossed the bedroom floor, leaving a trail of soapy water behind us, and stepped onto the balcony. Only half of the deep orange sun remained above the horizon now. I slid into the crystal clear pool, pulling Xavier in after me. Draping my arms over his shoulders, I pressed my mouth against his. I closed my eyes, relishing the feel of his tongue parting my lips. I wrapped my legs around his waist and pulled myself flush against him.
“Now,” I whispered. “Remind me where we were.”
Chapter 3: Derek
To say that Ben’s turning hadn’t gone as I’d hoped would have been an understatement. As Sofia left the chamber, he continued convulsing and coughing blood—too much blood. He couldn’t afford to lose this much. People had been known to die during this transition phase, when they were still vulnerable due to being partly human. As much as I could see he was in pain, I forced him to sit upright, hoping that it would stem the blood a little. No chance. If anything, he began coughing up more. He started to get a nose bleed. I ripped off a piece of the cloth he was lying on and tipped his head back, trying to at least stop the nose bleed. Again, it didn’t seem to make the slightest bit of difference.
